Clear the Air
by kiwibrazilian89
Summary: When Lois admits to being in love with Clark after getting trapped into a Madman's lie detector game, it throws off the tentative balance of their bantering relationship. What if they had not cleared the air afterwards? How would that have changed the way their relationship developed? Spoilers for Commitment, S8 Ep5
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I just enjoy jumping into the world that the wonderful creators of Smallville crafted for us. **

**A/N: I'm re-watching Season 8 at the moment and I found myself wondering what might have happened if Clark had not pushed Lois to face him and clear the air. Both of them were always much better at denying and suppressing uncomfortable emotions. So I figured I would explore how that might have played out differently. The first chapter is a recap of what happened in the actual episode for those who haven't watched it recently! Reviews, both good and bad, are welcomed - suggestions for improvements, criticisms, or positive feedback is helpful! :) **

* * *

In a dark basement underneath a jewelry store, intrepid reporter Lois Lane sat with leather cuffs securing her arms and legs to a heavy wooden chair. Wires connected her to an electricity generator, which was unfortunately under the control of a crazed jeweler standing above her.

Clark Kent, her usual partner in crime was sitting opposite her with a grimace on his face, writhing in pain. Sweat glistened on his skin as his body struggled to recover from the punishment inflicted on him just moments ago. The madman had electrocuted him when her previous answer proved unsatisfactory to the lie detector.

It had been her idea to go undercover as a newly engaged couple to get a scoop on this story, but now they were trapped in a lethal game of truth or dare. Well, okay, really it was just truth. Dangerous levels of truth.

The jeweler held up the trigger for Clark's electric chair and glared at her as he continued his interrogation.

"Next question. Deep down, underneath it all, do you love this man?" Lois raised her eyes to meet Clark's in desperation, willing him to do something to save her from the situation. Being held at gun point she could face, but the raw emotional vulnerability this man was demanding was her worst nightmare. Clark held her gaze evenly, nodding slowly and giving her a pointed look that made it very clear that he would be more than a little annoyed if she got him electrocuted again. He spoke through gritted teeth, albeit still in a soothing tone.

"Answer the question Lois. Don't over think it. Just tell the truth." It figured - even locked in a dingy cellar with a madman threatening to kill them both, Smallville still managed to sound calming and stoic. Damn him. The jeweler was looking annoyed now, growing impatient.

"Do. You. Love. Him." His tone left no more room for stalling. Clark raised his eyebrows, pleading with her to answer before the man lost his temper and electrocuted him again.

"Tell the truth, please Lois." The pained note in Clark's voice was hard to handle, especially knowing it was her fault that he was hurting. She was finding it hard to breathe as tears filled her eyes and she prepared herself to answer. The jeweler had had enough. Yelling, he demanded,

"Do you love him?" Taking a deep, sobbing breath, she replied softly.

"Yes." For a brief second her gaze met Clark's and she saw her own vulnerability reflected in his surprised eyes. Then it was gone, his impenetrable emotional mask back in place. Temporarily satisfied, the madman smiled slightly and moved on to his next question. Addressing Clark, he queried lightly,

"And you? Do you love this woman?" Lois saw Clark lower his head and look away, then closed her eyes, afraid to see the truths his expressions might reveal. "Speak up," the madman yelled. "She can't hear you if you don't speak up!"

It was all a blur after that point. There was some kind of explosion, and then the room filled with smoke. Next thing she knew Clark was standing in front of her looking concerned.

"Lois." She couldn't look at him, couldn't face him after the admission she had just made. Instead she simply responded to his words instead of the worry he was expressing.

"Clark." As he knelt down in front of her to take off the cuffs which held her to the chair she could not resist a glance in his direction. The empathy in his voice as their eyes met was nearly her undoing.

"Lois, are you okay?" Okay? Well she wouldn't be if he kept looking at her like that. She responded shakily,

"I'm not sure." Mercifully he didn't pursue the subject.

"Let's get you out of here." It was all she could do to nod gratefully as he pulled her to her feet.

* * *

In the midst of a comfortably messy room, clothes strewn all over the floor where she had dropped them the night before, Lois Lane dozed fitfully until the shrill ringing of an alarm clock jerked her to reality. Monday morning. Ugh. Groaning, she rolled over and forced her feet to the ground. Facing Clark at work today would require an even larger cup of coffee than usual.

While being abducted by a madman was nothing new to the military brat turned reporter, being forced to admit her feelings for one Clark Kent, both to herself, and to him, had shaken her more than she liked to admit. Shaking her head slightly as she got pulled on her favorite light blue suit, she gave herself a quick pep talk.

"Pull yourself together Lane. This isn't your first time at the rodeo. Just pretend like nothing happened." She nodded curtly at herself in the mirror and adjusted her jacket, pleased with the results. With her carefully honed air of confidence and mask of sarcastic wit in place, she was ready to face the day, whatever it decided to throw at her.

She managed to avoid Clark for most of the day by barely checking in at her desk at all. Instead she claimed to be running errands and chasing down leads. It would have been easier if he didn't seem to be everywhere. His presence seemed to completely fill a room the moment he entered it. As soon as 5o'clock hit she rushed for the elevator congratulating herself for making it through the day without him confronting her.

"You're not avoiding me are you?" She ground her teeth as Clark's voice broke into her mental dance of self-congratulation. Yep, there he was, standing right next to her. He was definitely invading her personal space. Damn it, why did Smallville always manage to catch her off guard.

"Me? Why would I be avoiding you? I was just shopping for wedding gifts for Chloe and Jimmy." Nice save Lane. Believable. Almost. Clark just smirked in reply. The man was impossible.

"So you're finally on board with the happy couple?" Did she even have a choice in the matter?

"Yup, all it took was them passing a madman's electric-Cosmo death quiz and I am sold." Better. Convincingly steady, even.

The elevator dinged loudly, almost making her jump. Clark stepped in and held the door open for her, giving her a questioning look as she remained frozen in place.

"In or out?" The mischievous, challenging look on his face made her realize that he knew exactly how uncomfortable she was feeling right now. Son of a bee-sting. Pasting a smile on her face she replied flippantly.

"You know, all things considered, stairs are better for cardio." Before Clark had a chance to argue, she took off towards the stairs, leaving him standing alone in the elevator with a slightly amused look on his face.


	2. Massacre

**Disclaimer: Smallville doesn't belong to me. I'm just playing around with the characters the original writers created :)**

**A/N - Combined Chapters 2 and 3 because it seemed to work better that way. **

* * *

Throughout her life Lois had found there were few things as effective as throwing herself into work when it came to avoiding uncomfortable emotions and awkward situations. Unfortunately she had to share her police scanner radio with Smallville, who sat opposite her rotating his squeaky chair back and forth while smirking at her across the desks.

"We have a 10-31 at the corner of Main and 5th. I'm gonna need backup." A burglary in progress? Finally, a headline worthy crime. It was just in time too, one more squeak of Smallville's chair and she was likely to throw something at him. She didn't bother to ask if Clark wanted to come with her as she grabbed her purse and ran for the exit. He could find his own leads today, this one was hers. Main and 5th was within walking distance, and with the lunchtime traffic it would probably be faster to run there. Pulling her ballet flats out of her bag she kicked off her heels in a practiced fluid motion.

Arriving 5 minutes later at what had previously been a popular over-priced art gallery and cafe catering to the independently wealthy lunchtime crowd, all she saw was carnage. People lay strewn on the sides of the room covered in obscene amounts of blood, limbs in unnatural positions. Tables were shattered, leaving nothing but unrecognizable pieces of wood lying on the ground. And, oddly, sticking out of the brick walls like they had been thrown with enough force to break through and remain stuck there. Burglary? Clearly the police needed a wider vocabulary. This was a massacre.

Scanning the rest of the room she rolled her eyes in annoyance when she saw that Smallville had beaten her to the scene. Apparently his training as the captain of the football team in high school had really paid off. Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin stubbornly she prepared herself to face him.

"Smallville, what you doing here?" With his usual wholesome farm boy grin and a distinct sense of self-satisfaction he replied,

"Well now Lois, I can't let you go running into danger by yourself, can I?"

Glaring at him through narrowed eyes she responded acidly,

"Thanks for caring Smallville, but I'm a big girl, and I've been taking care of myself for a long time." Rolling her eyes she sighed. "Anyway, since you're here, any leads yet?"

"Judging by the strength it must have taken to make wood break through brick I'm going with definitely meteor infected."

"Well no duh Smallville, I had that figured out for myself within seconds. I meant anything the average bystander couldn't have figured out for themselves." Clark shook his head and turned his head to look at her squarely.

"Something bothering you Lane? Wanna talk about it?" Summoning all her defense mechanisms Lois slammed her emotional walls into place.

"Nothing is bothering me except your constant incompetence, Smallville. Now go find something we can actually use." With one raised eyebrow and a slightly injured expression, he nodded curtly at her and walked away.

Lois took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. She may have crossed the line a little with that last remark. It was unnecessarily harsh. Whenever someone got too close to her she seemed to lose her filter. Part of her needed to keep him as far away from her as possible at the moment, the other part of her just wanted to run after him and apologize. She shoved that part of her firmly in a box in the corner of her mind and sealed it shut, telling herself to get it together.

"Don't be ridiculous Lane. He knows you're only sarcastic with people you care about, you aren't gonna lose him over one stray sentence. Pull yourself together!"

Before she had a chance to calm herself down fully he was beside her again. How did he keep doing that?

"I overheard people talking about a beast-like creature that appeared from out of nowhere. The injured people have claw marks on them. It sounds like the same creature responsible for the Ace of Clubs incident. But it doesn't make any sense. The police have that guy in custody." Good. Discussing work kept the conversation in her comfort zone. She could handle this.

"Better, Smallville! Okay. We need to check if he's escaped. Otherwise, there is a much bigger scoop lying in wait for us, and the police have the wrong guy in custody. The police said a burglary, we need to find out what was taken. Lets go check the police report on the Planet database." A smile made its way across her face at the thought of a front page byline. No matter what else was going on in her life, she could always count on a good story to get her mind off it.

Walking back to the Daily Planet with Clark she kept up her usual banter, throwing ideas and theories at him about the story. He didn't say much in response just nodded and agreed with her. Eventually she ran out of ways to keep a one sided conversation going. Why wasn't he holding up his end of the conversation today? They walked in silence, tension building up between them for the last few minutes of the journey. When they finally arrived at the office he turned to her and glued her to the spot with his intense gaze.

"Lois, don't you think we should talk about what happened the other night?" Mind racing she tried to find a way out of having this conversation. She decided to resort to her usual work-obsessed retort. Raising her eyebrows innocently she feigned ignorance and replied rapidly.

"Hmm? Oh I make a point of not dwelling on anything related to previous stories. I've just remembered I didn't get my mid-morning cuppa joe today. I'll see you in there Smallville!" Punching his arm and grinning at him she tried to restore the usual atmosphere of camaraderie between them, but Clark's piercing gaze made it clear that he wasn't convinced as she turned on one heel and walked briskly in the opposite direction towards Starbucks. Coffee would make everything better. It had too. She couldn't let one farm boy disrupt her usual equilibrium. Who needed a man anyway? She certainly didn't. She had her job, and achieving her goal of becoming a star reporter left no room for dating, regardless of how dizzy and weak at the knees a certain farm boy could make her feel with one glance.

* * *

Clark super-sped to Chloe's apartment to give her a more in depth scoop on what had happened at the gallery. It seemed they had been wrong to point fingers at any of Chloe's meteor-infected group. The creature wreaking havoc throughout Metropolis was something more sinister and dangerous than a human exposed to Kryptonite. He hoped Chloe was doing alright today; lately she had been more on edge than usual. He knew her Brainiac induced super-computer brain power was getting progressively worse, but he still didn't know any way to reverse the effects. In the meantime he felt responsible for her well-being, checking on her repeatedly throughout the day under the guise of asking for her help fighting alien villains.

So when he found Chloe passed out on the floor with blood streaming from her nose all his fears rose to the surface. Her skin was a sickening grey-blue color, and there were dark circles under her eyes. He had no idea how many days it had been since she last slept. Her human brain had appeared to have gone into overdrive and crashed itself in a last ditch effort at self-protection. Mercifully she still had a heartbeat, albeit a weak one. He thought about super-speeding her to a hospital but quickly dismissed that idea as he realized they would have no idea how to treat her. Instead he speed dialed Oliver, hoping that the notorious party boy in green leather would answer his phone for once. Surprisingly, he did.

"Oliver, its Clark. Chloe has passed out, I can't wake her up. I think it has to do with the Brainiac infection. Do you know of any doctors who might be able to help her?"

"I'll call someone, I'm on my way over, don't do anything I wouldn't do." *BEEP*

* * *

Oliver arrived half an hour later with Dr. Emil, the one person they all trusted enough to know the medical side of their secret identities. When the MRI's and CAT scans showed up nothing, he hooked Chloe up to a sophisticated SPEC machine and took some fMRI scans, trying to get a read on the functional damage caused in her brain. They showed a dire image. The parts of her brain which would usually show action had been taken over by a black, gooey virus-like substance, moving far faster than any normal human brain would on its own. Although she was unconscious, her brain was still processing information at an unsustainable rate.

"It doesn't look good. It is a similar process to what happens to a star before it self-destructs. The rate at which her brain is developing will result in a black-hole effect if we don't find a way to stop it. It will overload and implode, killing her. It isn't like anything I've ever seen. I can't help her, I really wish I could."

Clark took a deep, shaky breath as his mind whirred with the death sentence Dr. Emil had just pronounced. He had no way of contacting Jor-El anymore, and he had no leads on any other way to help Chloe. This time he might not be able to save her. The thought was too painful to handle. He couldn't look at her, so pale and still. It wasn't right; she was usually so vivacious and full of life. He should have tried harder to find a solution before it got to this point. How did he get so caught up in saving the world that he neglected to save the one person who had kept him sane and grounded since the 8th grade? He super sped out of the room before he lost control and started blowing things up with his heat vision as his emotions spun out of control.

* * *

Oliver had fallen to his knees on the floor next to Chloe's bed when he heard Dr. Emil's words. He had gotten so used to Chloe being there, always playing sidekick to his alter ego, that he had never considered the idea that he might one day lose her. Tears rose in his eyes as he realized he might not ever be able to tell her how much he cared about her.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he pulled it open none too gently.

"What do you want? Now really isn't a good time."

"Hi, I'm Davis. I got a call from Chloe a couple of hours ago saying that she wasn't feeling too good and asking me to come over after work? She said she had found a procedure that might be able to help her but she needed me there for it to work?"

"She found a cure? Did her message say what it entailed?" Ollie's tears threatened to spill over as the adrenaline which had been keeping him functioning streamed out of his body, only to be replaced by a bone wearying exhaustion. Davis gave him a concerned glance as he replied.

"Nope, she said she'd fill me in when I got here. Uh...don't mean to intrude, but are you okay?"

"Come in and see for yourself." He held the door open for Davis to enter. As soon as Davis saw Chloe hooked up to life support machines he went into crisis mode.

"Is there anything here which might help us? The last websites she looked at on her computer? Any other phone messages she left?"

"Let's take a look at her laptop."

* * *

Lois checked her phone for the first time in a couple of hours. There was a frantic message from Chloe.

"Lois, it's me. I don't feel so good; can you come see me on your next break?"

Chloe never admitted to feeling unwell. Lois was on her way before the message finished, and the clattering noise of her cousin dropping her phone on the ground only made her more concerned. She left the message running to see if she could pick up anything more. There was nothing for a little while, then she heard Clark's voice come through the line...apparently talking to Ollie?

"Oliver, its Clark. Chloe has passed out, I can't wake her up. I think it has to do with the Brainiac infection. Do you know of any doctors who might be able to help her?"

She stamped on the accelerator and broke at least a dozen laws driving to Chloe's apartment at 110MPH. Using her key to get in only to find Oliver and Davis sitting, staring at Chloe's laptop while her cousin lay hooked up to life support machines, Lois nearly beat them both up on the spot but instead settled for yelling at Ollie.

"What on earth is going on here Oliver?" Turning to Davis she frowned in confusion. "Really? Clark thought to call you two but didn't bother calling me?"

"Lois, calm down, please, we're trying to figure out how to save her." Eyes wide, Lois' gaze froze on Ollie.

"What do you mean save her, how bad is it?" Oliver finally tore his eyes away from the laptop and took a deep breath before walking over to her. Placing his hands on either side of her shoulders he looked her in the eyes and held her in a compassionate stare for a moment before answering her in a low, broken voice.

"It's pretty bad. We don't know how to fix it. We're trying to find out. Lois, we don't think she's gonna make it unless we find a miracle soon." No, it couldn't be true. Her cousin was the most resilient person she knew. She couldn't lose her. Head spinning, she sat down on the couch next to Davis, trying to grab the laptop out of his hands.

"Let me have that. Where did Clark go?" Davis replied to her.

"Not sure, he was gone when I got here. Lois, I'm sorry, but I can't let you see what is on the screen. Oliver and I are handling this."

Lois didn't bother listening to his words. She was fuming. How dare Clark not call her the minute he found her cousin unconscious? And then to just take off leaving Chloe to fend for herself. It was unforgivable. She knew he had a habit of disappearing at short notice, but she had always thought he would at least stick around when someone close to him really needed him. She was going to kill Smallville the next time she saw him.

Instead she shot Davis a death glare and appealed to Oliver instead.

"You know my investigative reporting skills would be helpful here. Come'on Ollie."

"Sorry Lois, but I'm gonna have to ask you to stay out of this one."

"No way. She's my cousin."

"You're too close to the situation to be able to be objective and get her the help she needs. What you can do to help us is go find Clark and tell him to get his butt back over here." He gently pushed her towards the door as he spoke, closing it firmly behind her when he was done. Lois fumed for a moment, then decided that tracking down Smallville and letting him know exactly what a terrible person he was on every level might be exactly the catharsis she needed right now.

* * *

Davis and Oliver sat down and finally read the cryptic letter on the screen which Chloe had written to him before she passed out.

"Davis, if you are reading this it means that the infection has already spread too far and my brain has begun to self-destruct. It seems when we talked about you being the beast before, we may have been right. Remember Davis, what kills you makes you stronger. That dangerous side of your genetic makeup should be able to help me, but you need to find a way to combine it with something to neutralize it enough to be safe for my body to process. Ask Oliver or Clark if they have any ideas.

Ollie and Clark, if you are reading this, don't over-react and do anything reckless to Davis. I know he has hurt a lot of people but it's not him, he isn't in control when those things happen. His genetic material contains the only way to save me. So please, find a way to help gain control over his dark side, for my sake."

Looking at each other in alarm, Davis and Oliver quickly agreed non-verbally that they would put aside their differences until they managed to heal Chloe. Then, all bets were off.


	3. Avoidance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or any of its characters.**

**A/N Thank you so much for your support so far! Reviews inspire me to keep writing so you guys are awesome! :)  
**

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Lois stormed furiously into the barn at the Kent Farm, determined to tear the unreliable Clark to shreds for not bothering to call her when he discovered Chloe out cold. Climbing the stairs, she found him standing at the window of his loft, arms leaning casually on the frame. She called out to him.

"Hey Smallville, wanna let me in on why you neglected to inform me that my favorite cousin was dying?" He didn't turn around, instead replying in a gravelly, pained voice, that would have garnered her compassion if she hadn't come in with all her defenses sky high and arms blazing.

"Now isn't really a good time Lois." Not a good time? Nope. This was one question and answer session he was not going to wriggle out of.

"Well too bad, because I'm demanding an answer anyway. In fact, how about telling me why everyone except me seemed completely unsurprised that Chloe was unconscious. How long has this been going on for?" Lois could feel heat rising to her cheeks as she spoke, all her feelings of betrayal and confusion rising to the surface.

"I didn't want to face how sick she was. I was in denial. I should have done something about it sooner."

"Oh no you don't! I'm not getting on the Clark Kent merry go round of pity. You're riding that one alone. I just want answers." Still refusing to turn around, Clark sighed, knowing that Lois was like a pit-bull with a chew toy when she had unanswered questions.

"Smallville, are you really so afraid of emotions that you have to run away ANY time something threatens to get under that thick skin of yours?" That caught his attention. Making an abrupt about-face, he took three large steps towards her. Eyes widening at the fury on his face, Lois moved backwards until her back hit the wooden fence at the edge of the loft. One more long stride and their bodies were inches apart, his chest heaving as he glowered down at her. She could feel the heat radiating off Clark and it stirred something inside her that she hurriedly shut down, hoping he hadn't noticed the blush that filled her cheeks.

"You know, that could go both ways Lois. I'm not the only one who avoids confronting uncomfortable feelings. In fact, I seem to recall a particular conversation that we still need to have about your emotions." Under his intense gaze she could feel her heartbeat quickening. Eyes darting from side to side to avoid his deep green ones, she frantically tried to regain control by firing back in an accusatory tone.

"Chloe is your best friend. Pull yourself together and go help Davis and Ollie find a way to help her." Clark glowered at her and reciprocated by turning her own anger against her.

"Changing the topic again Lois?" Gathering her scattered wits, Lois put her hands on his chest and pushed as hard as she could, eyes widening when it had no effect. Clark grinned slightly and his eyes darkened as she forced herself to glare back at him defiantly, hiding all trace of her true feelings. She couldn't embarrass herself by letting him see those ever again. She had only admitted to being in love with him because there was a madman and far too much adrenaline involved.

"Get out of my way Smallville. I just came to tell you that Ollie and Davis asked me to find you and tell you they need your help." Softening, he stepped aside and returned to the window of the barn. Although he made no reply, the way Clark's shoulders drooped despondently broke through Lois's emotional resistance. Walking up behind him she put her hand on his arm, turning his body to face her.

"Smallville?" The unconcealed pain and frustration in his eyes as he looked at her melted what was left of her defenses. She caught his gaze briefly before he looked down at the ground and answered the unspoken question in her voice.

"Lois, although I don't believe for a second that this is truly about me not calling you when I found Chloe, I do recognize it when you're mad at me. But now isn't the time to work through that, we are both running on heightened emotions and worried sick about Chloe." Apparently the farm boy wasn't as emotionally obtuse as he sometimes pretended to be. He continued,

"Feeling powerless is hard for me, and I don't know how to help Chloe. She's my best friend, and I can't save her." Dash it all to hell, Smallville needed her support and even a military upbringing couldn't stop a girl from wanting to make a hurting man feel better. Especially one who was normally impossibly stoic and rarely asked for help. Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Reacting to her immediately, he wrapped one arm around the small of her back, and slid his other between her shoulder blades, pulling her close. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths through his nose, leaning his head on her shoulder. Lois relaxed against him for a moment, allowing herself a brief moment of weakness, enjoying the way his strong arms held her securely. Then she pulled back abruptly as she realized that elongating the hug would allow him to glimpse the depth of her feelings for him. Counting down from 3 in her head she shut down and regained her customary army brat tough shell.

"Davis and Ollie are sitting there trying to figure it out, and they seem to have an idea so don't give up just yet Smallville." Grinning up at him, Lois emphasized her statement with a light punch of Clark's arm and jaunty toss of her head. With a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Clark took a deep breath and nodded as she turned and walked down the stairs. She had to get away from him, from this feeling of being out of control. From the pain of knowing that Clark didn't return her feelings, or at least not in any strong enough way to do something about it. Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Clark replied lightly as he followed behind her.

"Okay. Let's see what they have up their collective sleeve." Not looking at him, and keeping her tone just as airy, she retorted condescendingly.

"Atta boy Smallville!" Laughing, she glimpsed Clark shaking his head and narrowing his eyes at her through her peripheral vision, before following her out of the barn.


End file.
